Blog #6 - Chapter 8

Chapter 8 was a very helpful chapter to read because it seemed to condense a lot of the things that we had learned in previous classes in this program and put it into one chapter with helpful tips for each section. It was nice to read a chapter in which I knew the terms and subjects that were being talked about because I have the background about all of it from other classes. My biggest concern in reading through this chapter and in putting everything together is knowing what strategy is best to use with each student to effectively work with them. I guess I will learn and work through some of these concerns through my practicum and working with a school counselor. The section on developmentally appropriate counseling was one of the most helpful sections for me to read because I think we all need to remember the manner and the content with which we are counseling students. Dollarhide and Saginak (2012) say, "In terms of the manner  in which we counsel students, we need to be aware of their activity level and attention span" (p. 128). I think this is something that we need to keep in mind in working with each individual student in that they are all going to be different and we need to be able to adapt what we are doing to suit the needs of each individual student. The bullet points at the bottom of page 128 give a good framework in how to approach working with a student and I am going to try to start remembering and using those points as I am working with my client in Brief.


I also found the sections on "prevention, intervention, and treatment: When to counsel and when to refer" and "legal and ethical considerations" helpful because both sections gave helpful tips and information on what we need to do as a school counselor in certain situations (Dollarhide & Saginak, 2012, p. 123 and 129). I feel very unprepared in knowing what to do in crisis situations and I know that a lot of the learning will come in my first year as a school counselor and that there are many things that are on the spot trainings, but that does not put my mind at ease. Like Nate said in his blog, I feel that the legal and ethical issues are my weakest areas just because we have not really learned the ins and outs of the legal and ethical issues. As I have talked to current school counselors I am realizing that my fears right now will be addressed and that I just have to be prepared for anything in my first few years as a counselor. There is no way to be entirely prepared and I think I am becoming more comfortable with the feeling of being uncomfortable.


Dollarhide, C.T., & Saginak, K.A. (2012). Comprehensive school counseling programs (2nd Ed.). New York: Pearson, Inc.